Method of selecting or identifying a surgical gown

ABSTRACT

A method and related system are provided for selecting a gown to be worn during a medical procedure according to a degree of barrier protection provided by the gown. A plurality of surgical gowns are provided having varying degrees of barrier protection. Each of the gowns is marked with visible indicia that indicates the degree of barrier protection of the respective gown. A comprehensive listing of information is provided on each of the gowns that indicates the different degrees of protection and corresponding indicia for all the gowns.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a Continuation-in-Part (CIP) application ofU.S. application Ser. No. 10/325,628 filed on Dec. 20, 2002.

BACKGROUND

Surgeons and other healthcare providers often wear an over garmentduring operating procedures in order to enhance the sterile condition inthe operating room and to protect the wearer. The over garment istypically a gown that has a main body portion to which respectivesleeves are attached. In order to prevent the spread of infection to andfrom the patient, the surgical gown prevents bodily fluids and otherliquids present during surgical procedures from flowing through thegown.

Contamination could occur, for instance, if during surgery the surgicalgown used is not sufficiently fluid repellant and becomes saturated withblood. This blood may be wicked through the surgical gown and may wetthe under clothes and/or the skin of the healthcare provider. Thispenetration of fluid is sometimes referred to as “strike through”.Microorganisms present on the skin or under clothes may then be carriedoutward through capillary channels in the surgical gown to the surfaceof the gown, consequently contaminating the gown. Therefore, a liquidpath through the surgical gown may be established along which viruses,bacteria, or other contaminants may travel to and/or from the patient.

Surgical gowns were originally made of cotton or linen and weresterilized prior to use in the operating room. A disadvantage of thematerials used in these types of gowns is that they tend to form lint,which is capable of becoming airborne or clinging to the clothes of thewearer, thereby providing another potential source of contamination.Additionally, since these gowns were costly, laundering andsterilization procedures were required before reuse.

Disposable surgical gowns have largely replaced the linen surgical gownand many are now made in part or entirely from fluid repellent orimpervious fabrics to prevent strike through. Various materials anddesigns have been used in the manufacture of surgical gowns to preventcontamination in different operating room conditions. As such, surgicalgowns are available in a variety of different levels of protection andcomfort.

Gowns made from liquid repellent material are well known in the art.This type of material is available in a wide range of “imperviousness”.While such completely impervious material provides a high degree ofprotection, a surgical gown constructed of this material is typicallyvery heavy due to the weight of the material, expensive, and usually hotto the wearer. In some of these surgical gowns, certain portions such asthe shoulders and back panels may be of a lighter weight material inorder to provide for better breathability and help reduce the overallweight of the surgical gown. However, the higher the breathability ofthe material, the lower the repellency of the material. This in turnlimits the use of the gown or the effectiveness of the gown in theseparticular areas.

Different types of surgical procedures expose the healthcare provider tovarious levels of blood and/or fluid exposure. As such, it is notfeasible or economical to use the same type of surgical gown for everysurgical procedure conducted by the healthcare provider. For instance,during surgeries that are shorter and/or have a low amount of fluidexposure, it may be desirable to use a surgical gown that is lighter inweight and is not completely fluid impervious. This selection allows fora less expensive gown to be used in addition to providing greatercomfort and mobility to the healthcare provider. Also, this selectionprovides for a surgical gown that works for its intended purpose. On theother hand, surgical procedures that are longer and/or expose thehealthcare provider to a large amount of fluid may call for theselection of a surgical gown that is completely fluid impervious.Additionally, other surgical procedures expose the healthcare providerto levels of fluid between these extremes, therefore calling for theselection of an appropriate surgical gown as the situation dictates.

Under the current practice, surgical gowns are typically placed in apackage that has a brand name located thereon. Before beginning acertain surgical procedure, the healthcare provider may select asurgical gown based on the brand name of the surgical gown printed onthe package. Additionally, the healthcare provider may make his or herselection based on prior experiences in using a particular surgical gownin a particular surgical procedure. Also, it may be the case that thehealthcare provider does not read the labeling of the surgical gown indetail in order to ascertain which types of surgical procedures theparticular surgical gown may be employed. Variations in strike throughprevention between different surgical gown manufacturers exist, furthercomplicating the selection process based upon brand recognition.

It is the case that current practices relating to the selection of asurgical gown to be used in a particular surgical procedure are notuniform across the healthcare industry due to the fact that healthcareproviders select gowns based on brand names and their own personalexperiences.

The Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI)has proposed a uniform classification system for gowns and drapes basedon their liquid barrier performance. These procedures were adopted bythe American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and were recentlypublished as ANSIA/AAMI PB70: 2003 entitled Liquid Barrier Performanceand Classification of Protective Apparel and Drapes Intended for Use inHealth Care Facilities, which was formally recognized by the U.S. Foodand Drug Administration in October, 2004. This standard established fourlevels of barrier protection for surgical gowns and drapes. Therequirements for the design and construction of surgical gowns are basedon the anticipated location and degree of liquid contact, given theexpected conditions of use of the gowns. For example, the entire frontof a gown intended for use in surgical applications, including seams andother components, is required to provide at least the minimum level ofbarrier performance (Level 1) defined by the standard. Because the backof a gown intended for surgical applications is expected to stay dry,the standard does not require a liquid barrier performance for thatarea. Gowns used in isolation applications have more stringent barrierperformance requirements under the standard.

The ANSI/AAMI PB70 standard also describes that each surgical gown shallbe prominently labeled with its class of barrier performance, and alsothat each package containing a surgical gown shall be prominentlylabeled with the class of barrier performance of each item that iscontained in the package and has a barrier claim.

The ANSI/AAMI standard is to be commended as a significant step towardsproviding enhanced protection to health care workers. However, for thestandard to serve its intended purpose, it must be implemented in ameaningful, user friendly, and efficient manner.

There is therefore a need in the art for a method that the healthcareprovider may use in order to more accurately and/or consistently selecta surgical gown for use in a particular surgical procedure.

SUMMARY

Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in partin the following description, or may be obvious from the description, ormay be learned from practice of the invention.

The present invention provides for a method of selecting a gown to beworn during a surgical procedure. The method includes the step oflisting information that pertains to a plurality of surgical proceduresin a first location. A plurality of gown identification marks aredepicted in the first location, and each gown identification markcorresponds to at least one of the surgical procedures. Additionally, aplurality of surgical gowns are provided, the gowns are subdivided intogroups where each group corresponds to at least one of the gownidentification marks. The individual gowns in each group are marked withindicia. The indicia corresponds the gown to the gown identificationmark of the group from which the gown is selected. Also, the methodincludes the step of selecting the gown to be worn during the procedurebased upon any of the listing of information, the gown identificationmark, and the indicia.

The present invention also provides for a method of selecting a gown fora surgical procedure. This method includes the step of displaying alisting of surgical procedures and a plurality of gown identificationmarks at a first location. The procedures are correlated to the marks.Also, a gown from a location remote to the first location is chosen thatis suited for the procedure based upon indicia at the remote locationthat corresponds the gown to at least one of the gown identificationmarks or surgical procedures.

The present invention also provides for a method of identifying a gown.This method includes the step of providing information that correspondsa plurality of procedures to a plurality of gown identification marks. Asurgical gown that is to be worn during a surgical procedure isprovided. The gown is configured for being used with at least one of theprocedures. Additionally, the gown is labeled in a manner that issubstantially similar to at least one of the plurality of gownidentification marks.

The gown identification marks used in the present invention may besymbols that are at least partially pictorial. In one exemplaryembodiment of the present invention, three different gown identificationmarks are used. Here, the first gown identification mark is a symbolcorresponding to procedures having a first expected fluid exposure. Thesecond symbol corresponds to procedures having a higher expected fluidexposure than procedures corresponding to the first symbol. Additionallyin this exemplary embodiment, a third symbol is present and correspondsto procedures having a higher expected fluid exposure than procedurescorresponding to the second symbol.

The present invention also provides for a method as described abovewhere the listing of information is in the form of a chart. Further,gown identification marks in the listing of information may each be acombination of words and at least one image, in accordance with oneexemplary embodiment of the present invention.

The indicia in accordance with the present invention may be located onthe gown. For instance, the indicia may be located on the inside surfaceof the gown. Alternatively or additionally, the gown identificationmarks may be located at a second location that is a storage area thatholds the surgical gowns. Also, the gown identification marks may belocated on a package that holds the surgical gown.

In still other aspects, the present invention relates to a method andassociated system for selecting a gown to be worn during a medicalprocedure according to a degree of barrier protection provided by thegown. A plurality of gowns having varying degrees of barrier protectionare provided to healthcare workers for use in any number of medicalprocedures as a function of the desired degree of barrier protectioncalled for by such procedures. The required degree of protection may bedefined by industry or regulatory standards, such as the ANSI/AAMI PB70standard. Each of the gowns is marked with visible indicia thatindicates the degree of barrier protection of the respective gown.Unique visible indicia is associated with each of the different levelsof barrier protection, and may include any one or combination of symbol,color, graphic design, phrase, etc.

Each gown also includes a comprehensive listing of information thatindicates the different degrees of protection and corresponding indiciafor all the gowns. This listing may be provided in any user friendlyformat, including graphical representation, chart form, pictorialrepresentation, and so forth. The listing information provided directlywith the gown offers a significant benefit in that it is readily visibleand directly associated with an individual gown during the donningprocess. Wall mounted charts or other centralized indication of theprotection level of the gowns are useful, particularly in initialselection of a gown, but it may be impractical to display such devicesin all locations related to preparation and conduct of the medicalprocedure. With the information not being readily visible, personnel areleft to rely on memory as to what level of protection corresponds to thedifferent indicia. The present gown identification system and methodaddress this drawback.

The listing information associated with each gown may be applieddirectly to the gown, or to an item attached to the gown. For example,the information may be stamped or printed directly onto the gown, or onan adhesive label that is attached to the gown. The listing informationmay be on an item that is removably attached to each of the gowns. In aparticular embodiment, the listing information may also indicate theparticular degree of protection of the gown to which it is attached (inaddition to the visible indicia provided on the gown).

In a particularly useful embodiment, the listing information is printedor otherwise provided on a tie card attached to each of gown. With thisembodiment, both the user and the person assisting in the donningprocess can readily verify that the correct type of gown is being usedfor the intended procedure.

In one embodiment, the visible indicia on each gown indicating thedegree of barrier protection of the gown is a color, with differentcolors corresponding to different degrees of protection. The listinginformation would also display all of the colors and a clear indicationof the level of protection associated with each color. With the tie cardembodiment, all of the different colors are provided on the tie card ina manner that also correlates each color to its respective degree ofbarrier protection. This may be done pictorially, for example.

With a distinct color used as the visible indicia, it may be desired todisplay the color on the gown in a prominent location that is visiblefrom generally all sides of the gown. For example, the color may beprovided on the collar or cuffs of the gown.

Aspects of the invention will be described in greater detail below byreference to embodiments represented in the appended figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of an exemplary embodiment of a listingof information used for selecting a gown to be worn during a surgicalprocedure in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of a gown identification mark inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Thegown identification mark is used to identify gowns capable of being usedwith low levels of expected fluid exposure.

FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of an exemplary embodiment of a gownidentification mark in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention. The gown identification mark is used to identifygowns capable of being used with moderate levels of expected fluidexposure.

FIG. 4 is a front elevation view of a gown identification mark inaccordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Thisthird gown identification mark is used to identify gowns capable ofbeing used with high levels of expected fluid exposure.

FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of a tie card that has printedinformation that further explains the method of selecting a surgicalgown in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a gown having indicia attached theretoin accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a gown having indicia located on theinside surface of the gown proximate to the collar of the gown accordingto one exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7A is a detailed view of the circle labeled FIG. 7A in FIG. 7. Thegown is shown as having a gown identification mark, a brand name, a gownsize, and a gown product code located thereon in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a method ofselecting a gown in accordance with the present invention. Here, alisting of information is located on a wall, and various stacks of gownsare located on a storage area and identified by a series of gownidentification marks.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a gown in apackage in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention. Here, a gown identification mark is located on the packageinto which the gown is held.

FIG. 10 is a front elevation view of a listing of information that is tobe used with the method of selecting a gown in accordance with anexemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a front elevation view of a listing of information that is tobe used in accordance with the method for selecting a gown in accordancewith an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Here, surgicalprocedures that correspond to various-expected levels of fluid exposureare left blank and are to be filled in by the healthcare provider.

FIG. 12 is a front view of a tie card containing a listing ofinformation of different gowns and respective levels of barrierprotection, as well as the corresponding gown indicia.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a surgical gown incorporating the tiecard of FIG. 12.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the invention,one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Eachexample is provided by way of explanation of the invention, and notmeant as a limitation of the invention. For example, featuresillustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used withanother embodiment to yield still a third embodiment. It is intendedthat the present invention include these and other modifications andvariations.

The present invention provides for a way of selecting a surgical gownthat is to be worn during a surgical procedure. In order to carry outthe method, a listing of information is provided. An example of one suchlisting of information 14 in accordance with one exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention is shown in FIG. 1. Here, the listing ofinformation 14 is in a printed chart format. The listing of information14 includes a plurality of surgical procedures 12 that are categorizedas having a certain degree of expected fluid exposure 38. The differentdegrees of expected fluid exposure 38 may be categorized, for instance,by the amount of fluid transferred to the healthcare provider during anoperation, in addition to or alternatively with the total time of fluidexposure imparted to the healthcare provider during the operation. Forinstance, blood, saline, lavage, and/or saliva could potentially betransferred to the healthcare provider during the operation. As can beseen in FIG. 1, the expected fluid exposure 38 is divided intocategories based on both the amount and time of fluid exposure. In otherexemplary embodiments of the present invention, the various degrees ofexpected fluid exposure 38 may be divided based on the amount of fluidexposure alone. For instance, less than 100 ml of fluid, between 100 and300 ml of fluid, and greater than 300 ml of fluid may be used in orderto categorize the various degrees of expected fluid exposure 38.

The listing of information 14 correlates the various degrees of theexpected fluid exposure 38 to various surgical procedures 12. Thiscorrespondence may be made by taking the recommendations of differenthealthcare providers in determining the amount of expected fluidexposure 38 that is expected for a particular surgical procedure 12. Forinstance, in one exemplary embodiment of the present invention nurseconsultants or other healthcare providers may be used in order to makethe correspondence between the surgical procedure 12 and the expectedfluid exposure 38.

It is not necessary to correlate the levels of expected fluid exposure38 to the surgical procedures 12 based solely on the amount of expectedfluid. For instance, in one exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention the expected fluid exposure 38 is correlated to the surgicalprocedure 12 based on various factors with the total expected fluid inthe surgical procedure 12 being used only as a guide. In otherinstances, the amount of expected fluid is not even a factor. Variousfactors may be used such as the total fluid level, the duration, theoperative site, the position of the patient, and the type of surgerywhether minimal or traditional may all be factored in determining theamount of expected fluid exposure 38 for a particular surgical procedure12.

The surgical procedures 12 may be listed as a particular surgicalprocedure 12, such as a C-section, or may be listed as a more generaltype of surgical procedure, such as eye and ear procedures. An exampleof particular and more general surgical procedures 12 are shown in FIG.1 in which these various surgical procedures 12 are categorized ashaving low, moderate, or high expected levels of fluid exposure 38 basedon both the amount and duration of fluid exposure.

From this information, gown identification marks 16 are assigned to eachdegree of expected fluid exposure 38. FIGS. 2 through 4 show oneexemplary embodiment in accordance with the present invention of thegown identification marks 16 for particular levels of expected fluidexposure 38. FIG. 2 shows a first gown identification mark 18 thatcorresponds to low levels of expected fluid exposure 38 in FIG. 1. FIG.3 shows a second gown identification mark 20 that corresponds tomoderate levels of expected fluid exposure 38 in FIG. 1. Finally, FIG. 4shows a third gown identification mark 22 that corresponds to highlevels of expected fluid exposure 38 in FIG. 1. The first, second, andthird gown identification marks 18, 20, and 22 differ from one anotherin that they have one, two, or three droplets, such as blood droplets,identifying a particular gown identification mark 16. Increasing thenumber of blood droplets, or other symbolic volumetric indication,allows a healthcare provider to more easily associate a particular gownidentification mark 16 with a particular level of expected fluidexposure 38.

In accordance with other exemplary embodiments of the present invention,other designs for the gown identification marks 16 are possible, forinstance, in one such exemplary embodiment higher numbers of blooddroplets may be used for lower levels of expected fluid exposure 38while fewer blood droplets are used for higher expected levels of fluidexposure 38. However, other objects besides blood droplets may be used.Also, the same type of object does not have to be used in all of thegown identification marks 16. Additionally, in other exemplaryembodiments of the present invention, the gown identification marks 16may be completely pictorial and have no text written thereon.Alternatively, the gown identification marks 16 may be completelywritten text, for instance the gown identification marks 16 may be“LOW”, “MODERATE”, and “HIGH” in other exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention. It is therefore the case that any design, word,color, or combination thereof may be used in place of the gownidentification marks 16 shown in FIG. 1 as long as they differentiatethe different levels of expected fluid exposure 38.

The listing of information 14 may also have a row listing a recommendedgown example 24 for each of the different levels of the expected fluidexposure 38. The recommended gown examples 24 may be brand names ofgowns 10 on the market that are capable of resisting fluid as describedwith respect to the amount of expected fluid exposure 38 under which therecommended gown example 24 is listed. The recommended gown example 24therefore allows for a secondary way of identifying an appropriate gown10 to be used with the surgical procedure 12.

The present invention also includes the step of identifying a gown 10,as seen in FIG. 6, with indicia. This indicia may be at least one of thegown identification marks 16. Although it is preferable to place thegown identification marks 16 on the gown 10, in other exemplaryembodiments of the present invention, it is possible to identify thegown without placing the gown identification mark 16 on the gown 10. Itis only necessary under the scope of the present invention that the gown10 be identified by one of the gown identification marks 16. It is notnecessary that the indicia that identifies the gown 10 be exactly thesame as the gown identification mark 16 on the listing of information14. For instance, referring to FIG. 1, the gown identification marks 16are shown as being one, two, or three blood droplets having a companyname located proximate to the blood droplets, and being surrounded by apair of circles. It may be the case that the indicia that identifies thegowns 10 only have the blood droplets and do not have the company nameor circles as do the ones shown in the listing of information 14. Itshould be appreciated that any manner of indicia may correlate the gown10 to the gown identification mark 16.

The gown 10 is known to have a particular amount of resistance to fluid.The gown is then identified using the gown identification mark 16 thatcorresponds the amount of fluid resistance in the gown 10 to theappropriate level of expected fluid exposure 38 as shown in FIG. 1. Aplurality of gowns 10, made by different manufactures and havingdifferent degrees of fluid resistance, may then be labeled with theappropriate indicia.

The healthcare provider may view the listing of information 14 and findthe particular surgical procedure 12 in which he or she is to beinvolved. From there, the particular surgical procedure 12 is correlatedto a particular gown identification mark 16. The healthcare provider maythen move to the location where the gowns 10 are stored and select theproper gown 10 as identified by the matching gown identification mark 16being the indicia on the gown 10. In one exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention, the listing of information 14 is on a poster that isplaced in clear view, for instance, near a scrub sink or other highlyvisible location. The surgeon and operating room staff may enter thescrub area and begin the hand scrubbing process, which lastapproximately three to five minutes. In this time the surgeon oroperating room staff member will be able to view the listing ofinformation 14 and understand the correspondence between the surgicalprocedure 12 he or she is about to participate in and the matching gownidentification mark 16. As the surgeon or operating room staff memberenters the operating room, a towel is taken and his or her hands aredried. At this point the surgical gown is selected or given to thesurgeon or operating room staff member. The proper gown 10 may beselected based upon the gown identification mark 16 viewed in thelisting of information 14.

The indicia which may be for instance the gown identification mark 16may be placed on both the outside and inside 32 of the gown 10 as shownin FIG. 6. Alternatively, the gown identification mark 16 may only belocated on one portion of the gown 10. The present invention includesexemplary embodiments where the gown identification mark 16 is placed inany number or at any location on the gown 10. FIG. 7 shows an exemplaryembodiment where the gown identification mark 16 is placed on the inside32 of the gown 10 at a location proximate to a collar 50 of the gown 10.As can be seen in greater detail in FIG. 7A, the indicia being the gownidentification mark 16 is substantially the same as the third gownidentification mark 22 as shown in FIG. 4. However, additional text isprinted below the gown identification mark 16 as can be seen in FIG. 7A.This additional text may include the brand name 26 of the gown 10.Additionally, the gown size 28 and the gown product code 30 may beplaced proximate to the gown identification mark 16. The gownidentification marks 16 along with the brand name 26, gown size 28, andgown product code 30 may be stamped onto the gown 10 or may be on alabel that is applied to the gown 10 through adhesion. This additionalinformation helps to ensure that the proper gown 10 is selected by thehealthcare provider. Additionally, other information may be printed nextto the gown identification mark 16 in accordance with other exemplaryembodiments of the present invention.

Although described as being printed on a poster as shown in FIG. 1, thelisting of information 14 may be provided to the healthcare provider inother ways in accordance with other exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention. For instance, the listing of information 14 may be located ona computer, on a calendar, on a printed hand out, in a manual, or on anobject such as a mouse pad. Additionally, more than one such listing ofinformation 14 may be provided. For instance, several posters displayingthe listing of information 14 may be positioned around the scrub area.Additionally, the present invention is not limited to having the listingof information 14 be located at a particular location such as near thescrub sink. The listing of information 14 may be located near theoperating room or may be located away from the operating room or evenoutside of the hospital in other exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention.

The surgical gown 10 shown in FIG. 6 may be stored and/or presented tothe healthcare provider in a number of ways. For instance, surgicalgowns 10 are often located on a back table and are packaged andpresented to the healthcare provider in a “book-fold” arrangement. Inthis type of arrangement, the inside 32 of the gown 10 is presented tothe healthcare provider while the outside 48 of the gown 10 is largelycontained inside of the folded gown 10. Hand pockets are located on eachside of the folded gown 10 for receipt of the healthcare provider'shands. As the hands are lifted up and out, the gown 10 will unfold andfall into place on the healthcare provider's body. The “book-fold”arrangement therefore helps to ensure that the outside 48 of the gown isnot contaminated prior to use in the surgical procedure. Such an exampleof a “book-fold” arrangement is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,862,525 toTankersley et al. which is assigned to the assignee of the presentinvention, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by referenceherein in its entirety for all purposes. The indicia being the gownidentification mark 16 may be placed on the inside 32 of the gown 10near the collar 50 as shown in FIG. 7. This allows for properidentification of the gown 10 with the surgical procedure 12 withouthaving to unfold or touch the gown 10 in order to locate the gownidentification mark 16. This in turn provides for a more sterile gown 10than would otherwise be the case. By placing several of the gownidentification marks 16 on both the outside 48 and inside 32 of the gown10, it is possible to reduce the probability of contamination broughtabout by excessive handling of the gown 10. Additionally, the healthcareprovider will be more quickly ready for the surgical procedure 12 byproviding a clearly visible gown identification mark 16.

FIG. 9 shows the gown 10 being contained within a package 36. The gownidentification mark 16 is located on the surface of the package 36, andnot on the gown 10. This configuration is in accordance with oneexemplary embodiment of the present invention, and eliminates the needof placing the gown identification mark 16 directly on the gown 10.

FIG. 8 shows another exemplary embodiment of the present invention wherethe gowns 10 are arranged in a first stack 54, a second stack 56, and athird stack 58 on a shelf 34. Each of the stacks 54, 56, and 58 arelabeled with a respective indicia being the first, second, and thirdgown identification marks 18, 20, and 22. In this manner, the gowns 10are identified without having the first, second, or third gownidentification marks 18, 20 and 22 placed directly on the gowns 10.Additionally, the gowns 10 shown in FIG. 8 are contained within packages36 that have the appropriate first, second, or third gown identificationmarks 18, 20, and 22 located thereon. In other exemplary embodiments ofthe present invention, it may be the case that the gowns 10 also haveone of the first, second, or third gown identification marks 18, 20, and22 located directly on the gown 10. The arrangement in FIG. 8 thereforeprovides an easily identifiable stack of gowns 10 that are classifiedaccording to a particular first, second, or third gown identificationmark 18, 20, or 22. The listing of information 14 is shown as being on aposter attached to a wall 52 and located above a shelf 34. It is to beunderstood that in other exemplary embodiments of the present invention,that the listing of information 14 may be located at a location moreremote from the gowns 10 as opposed to being located on the same wall 52onto which the gowns 10 are located via the shelf 34.

The healthcare provider may employ the method of the present inventionin much the same way as discussed above. For instance, the healthcareprovider will identify the surgical procedure 12 in question and thenwill be able to note the corresponding first, second, or third gownidentification mark 18, 20, and 22 that relates to the surgicalprocedure 12. At this point, the healthcare provider may take from theappropriate stack the corresponding gown 10 that is to be employed inthe surgical procedure 12.

The indicia may be stamped onto the outside 48 of the gown 10. Thisallows both the wearer of the gown 10 and other healthcare providersinside the operating room to quickly identify the type of gown 10 beingused by each person in the operating room. This may be beneficial when asurgical procedure 12 is being conducted and additional assistance isrequired or requested. Clear display of the indicia ensure that it iseasy to identify and make certain that each healthcare provider involvedin the surgical procedure 12 is adequately and properly protected.

Storage for the gowns 10 may vary from hospital to hospital. In somehospitals, the gowns 10 may be placed into a bin as opposed to beinglocated on the shelf 34. In this instance, the indicia being forinstance the gown identification marks 16 may be located on the bin inorder to identify the gown 10. Additionally, the gown identificationmarks 16 may be placed on the gown 10 itself and on the package 36 inorder to assist with the identification and selection of the gown 10. Inanother exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the gowns 10 arelocated inside of a vending machine. The vending machine may be providedwith the gown identification marks 16 such that the healthcare providermay dispense the appropriate gown 10 for the desired surgical procedure12.

In some instances, the gowns 10 are provided with a tie card 40 as shownin FIG. 5. The tie card may have a sterile section 46 and a non-sterilesection 44. Tie strings on the gown 10 are connected to the sterilesection 46, and an assistant (typically the scrub or circulating nurse)may grasp the non-sterile section 44 and pass the tie card 40 along withthe tie string around the back of the gown 10. At this point, theassistant may hand off the tie string and/or the tie card 40 to thewearer of the gown 10. From here, the tie strings may be tied in orderto properly secure the gown 10 and the tie card 40 may be thrown away.The tie card 40 in other instances may not be thrown away but may remainin and around the operating room and be used by operating room personnelfor taking notes, that are written on the tie card 40. One such exampleof a tie card 40 known in the art is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.4,982,448 to Kogut the entire disclosure of which is incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety for all purposes.

The tie card 40 provides another medium by which information about thesurgical gown selection procedure may be communicated to the healthcareprovider. For instance, printed information 42 as shown in FIG. 5 thatrelates to the method of selecting a gown 10 in accordance with thepresent invention may be printed on the tie card 40. The printedinformation 42 may be so placed in order to further acquaint thehealthcare provider with the correspondence between the gownidentification marks 16 and the various levels of expected fluidexposure 38. Alternatively, the tie card 40 may be provided with theparticular indicia used to identify the gown 10 onto which the tie card40 is attached. Although shown as being located in the non-sterilesection 44 of the tie card 40, the printed information 42 may be locatedon either the non-sterile section 44 and/or the sterile section 46.

FIG. 10 shows an alternative exemplary embodiment of the listing ofinformation 14 in accordance with the present invention. Here, differentsurgical procedures 12 are listed on the listing of information 14 ascompared to the surgical procedures 12 listed in FIG. 1. As such, thepresent invention is not limited to a particular correspondence betweenthe surgical procedures 12 and the levels of expected fluid exposure 38.Additionally, more than one listing of information 14 may be used inaccordance with the present invention. For example, a particular listingof information 14 may have surgical procedures 12 that relate to eye andear procedures while a different listing of information 14 has surgicalprocedures 12 that are classified as cosmetic surgeries.

Although as shown in the form of a chart in FIG. 10, the listing ofinformation 14 may be set up in other arrangements in order tocorrespond the gown identification marks 16 to the surgical procedures12 and the levels of expected fluid exposure 38. For instance, thelisting of information 14 may be in graphical form or may be only alisting of various surgical procedures 12 and corresponding gownidentification marks 16. It is therefore the case that in otherexemplary embodiments of the present invention that the row includingthe expected level of fluid exposure 38 is not included in the listingof information. Additionally, the row and information concerning therecommended gown examples 24 is not necessary in other exemplaryembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 11 shows an exemplary embodiment of the present invention where thelisting of information 14 is not completed prior to delivery to thehealthcare provider. In this instance, the surgical procedures areprovided with a plurality of blanks 60. The healthcare provider may fillin the blanks 60 as he or she sees fit in corresponding the surgicalprocedures 12 to the expected level of fluid exposure 38 and thecorresponding gown identification marks 16. This is due to the fact thatdifferent hospitals or surgical units have different views as to whattype of gown 10 is appropriate for a particular surgical procedure 12.For instance, some healthcare providers or hospitals may be moreconservative in selecting gowns 10 that are sure to provide the level offluid resistance necessary in all instances, while other hospitals orhealthcare providers are more liberal in selecting the gowns 10 so thatbenefits other than fluid resistance are employed.

In one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the gown.identification marks 16 may be applied to the gowns 10 such that thehospital or healthcare provider is free to mark the gown 10 with thedesired gown identification mark 16. This also allows for flexibility inselecting the gown 10 based on the hospitals or healthcare provider'sview of the gown's 10 ability to resist fluid. In another exemplaryembodiment of the present invention, some of the surgical procedures 12may be listed in the listing of information 14 while other surgicalprocedures 12 are added by the hospital or healthcare provider. However,it is to be understood that in the preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, the listing of information 14 is provided complete to thehospital or healthcare provider along with the indicia alreadyidentifying the gowns 10.

Although described as having three different identification marks 16 tocorrespond to three different levels of expected fluid exposure 38, itis to be understood that in other exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention that the surgical procedures 12 may be categorized intodifferent levels of expected fluid exposure 38 in degrees other thanthree. For instance, two different levels of expected fluid exposurecorresponding to two different gown identification marks 16 may be usedin one exemplary embodiment of the present invention while in another,four different levels of expected fluid exposure corresponding to fourdifferent gown identification marks 16 may be used.

FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate various other aspects of a system and methodaccording to the invention for selecting a gown 110 to be worn during amedical procedure according to a degree of barrier protection providedby the gown. The gown 110 includes visible indicia 112 that indicatesthe degree of barrier protection of the respective gown. The indicia isa unique symbol, color, design, graphic or pictorial representation, orthe like, associated with a particular level of barrier protection. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the indicia 112 may be a unique colorincorporated into the collar 150, the cuff 132, the tie cord 133, or anycombination of elements. With a distinct color used as the visibleindicia 112, it may be desired to display the color on the gown 110 in aprominent location that is visible from generally all sides of the gown,such as the collar 150, cuff 132, or tie string 133.

Each gown 110 also includes a comprehensive listing of information 114that indicates the different degrees of protection and correspondingindicia 112 for all the gowns. This listing 114 may be provided in anyuser friendly format, including graphical representation, chart form,pictorial representation, and so forth. The listing information 114associated with each gown 110 may be applied directly to the gown, or toan item attached to the gown. For example, the listing information maybe stamped or printed directly onto the gown 110, or on an adhesivelabel that is attached to the gown 110. Such a label or printing maycontain the same or similar information as presented on the tie card 40illustrated in FIG. 5. The listing information 114 may be on an itemthat is removably attached to each of the gowns 110, such as a removablelabel or the like. In a particularly useful embodiment, the removableitem may be the tie card 40 of FIG. 5, or the tie card 140 of FIG. 12.In a particular embodiment, the listing information 114 may alsoindicate the particular degree of protection of the gown 110 to which itis attached (in addition to the visible indicia 112 provided on the gown110).

In the embodiment of FIG. 12, the listing information 114 displayed onthe tie card 140 includes a pictorial cross-reference to the differentcolors used for indicating different degrees of barrier protection. Inthis case, the overall system distinguishes between three differentlevels of barrier protection, and a unique color is assigned to eachdifferent level of protection. The tie card 140 functions as a “colorkey” to the system and includes a section that clearly presents each ofthe colors, as well as a graphic or pictorial representation of thethree different levels of gown protection. A first section 118 displaysa first color 121 and a first pictorial gown representation 120indicating the maximum level of protection for gowns in the system. Asecond section 122 displays a second color 123 and a second pictorialgown representation 124 indicating an intermediate level of gownprotection. A third section 126 displays a third color 127 and a thirdpictorial gown representation 128 indicating a minimum level of gownprotection. It should be appreciated that any combination of symbols,designs, pictures, and so forth may be used to indicate the respectivelevels of gown protection. The gown symbols 120, 124, and 128 are usefulin that they clearly distinguish the actual areas of protection on therespective gowns.

The embodiment wherein the listing information 114 is provided on aremovable item associated with the gown, such as the tie card 140, andalso indicates the particular degree of protection of the gown 110 towhich it is attached, provides additional benefits. For example, apost-operative accountability of the gowns 110 used for a particularprocedure is possible by collecting and inventorying all of the cards140. With this system, trends in gown usage and procedural adherence canbe analyzed over time. The name of the gown user may be written onto thetie card 140, or other removable listing of information, at donning ofthe gown, and thus individualized information may be collected andanalyzed for various uses.

It should be understood that the present invention includes variousmodifications that can be made to the embodiments of the selectionmethod described herein as come within the scope of the appended claimsand their equivalents.

1. A method of selecting a gown to be worn during a medical procedureaccording to a degree of barrier protection provided by the gown,comprising: providing a plurality of gowns having varying degrees ofbarrier protection; marking each of the gowns with visible indicia thatindicates the degree of barrier protection of the respective gown; andproviding comprehensive listing information on each of the gowns as tothe different degrees of protection and corresponding indicia for allthe gowns.
 2. The method as in claim 1, wherein the listing informationis on an item removably attached to each of the gowns.
 3. The method asin claim 2, wherein the listing information also indicates theparticular degree of protection of the gown to which it is attached. 4.The method as in claim 2, wherein the gown is a surgical gown, and thelisting information is provided on a tie card attached to each of thesurgical gowns.
 5. The method as in claim 1, wherein the visible indiciaon each gown indicating the degree of barrier protection of the gown isa color, with different colors corresponding to different degrees ofprotection.
 6. The method as in claim 5, wherein the gown is a surgicalgown, and the listing information is provided on a tie card attached toeach of the surgical gowns such that all of the different colors areprovided on the tie card in a manner that also correlates each color toits respective degree of barrier protection.
 7. The method as in claim6, wherein the different degrees of barrier protection are indicatedpictorially on the tie cards.
 8. The method as in claim 6, wherein theindicia color is provided on a distinct portion of the gown that isgenerally visible from all sides when donned by a user.
 9. The method asin claim 8, wherein the indicia color is provided on the gown collar.10. The method as in claim 8, wherein the indicia color is provided onthe gown cuffs.
 11. The method as in claim 8, wherein the indicia coloris provided on the gown tie string.
 12. The method as in claim 1,further comprising providing at least one additional comprehensivelisting of information of the barrier protection offered by all of thegowns and corresponding indicia at a centralized remote location. 13.The method as in claim 12, wherein the remote listing of information isprovided in chart or poster form at a location where the gowns aredonned by users.
 14. The method as in claim 1, wherein the listinginformation is indicated on an item removably attached to the gowns andalso indicates the particular degree of protection of the gown to whichit is attached, said method further comprising collecting the removeditems post-procedure and using the items for analysis or accountabilityof the gowns used for a particular procedure.
 15. A system for selectinga gown to be worn during a medical procedure according to a degree ofbarrier protection provided by the gown, comprising: a plurality ofsurgical gowns having varying degrees of barrier protection; visibleindicia on each said gown that indicates the degree of barrierprotection of said respective gown; and a listing of informationprovided on each of said gowns as to the different degrees of protectionand corresponding indicia for all of said gowns.
 16. The system as inclaim 15, wherein said listing of information is on an item removablyattached to each of said gowns.
 17. The system as in claim 16, whereinsaid listing of information also indicates the particular degree ofprotection of said respective gown to which it is attached.
 18. Thesystem as in claim 16, wherein said gowns are surgical gowns, and saidlisting of information is provided on a tie card attached to each ofsaid surgical gowns.
 19. The system as in claim 15, wherein said visibleindicia on each said gown indicating the degree of barrier protection ofsaid gown is a color, with different colors corresponding to differentdegrees of protection.
 20. The system as in claim 19, wherein said gownsare surgical gowns, and said listing of information is provided on a tiecard attached to each of said surgical gowns such that all of saiddifferent colors are provided on said tie cards in a manner that alsocorrelates each said color to its respective degree of barrierprotection.
 21. The system as in claim 20, wherein the different degreesof barrier protection are indicated pictorially on said tie cards. 22.The system as in claim 20, wherein said colored indicia is provided on adistinct portion of said gowns that is generally visible from all sideswhen said gown is donned by a user.
 21. The system as in claim 20,wherein said colored indicia is provided on at least one of a collar,cuffs, or tie string of said gowns.